


Jung Says

by Wolfgang von Cemetery (enemy_xands)



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, Biting, Dominance, Emotional Manipulation, Marking, Minimal kayfabe compliance, Multi, Psychology, Rough Kissing, Tsundere!AJ, alter ego, split personality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-24 19:39:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9782330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enemy_xands/pseuds/Wolfgang%20von%20Cemetery
Summary: Psychological warfare; AJ wrestles with the least desirable parts of himself, but what is "winning"?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Take 2 everyone! Lol this posted last night while AO3 was having server issues and I didn't notice. That first version quite honestly sucked (and you know it did, all ten of you) so I got it together and made it work out. Still not thrilled but I am not supposed to be taking a credible James/AJ pairing seriously anyway.
> 
> Kinda sequel to Reach for the Stars. Born out of a conversation about black out drinking & alter egos...but why did it get this out of hand? Why did it have to be James & AJ? These are the heavy questions we will grapple with during this session.

AJ scrolled through his Instagram feed idly, his thumbs moving almost like a second nature. His main feed was full of nature, hunting, friends' kids, ATVs…everything that would brand him a redneck and a family man. His shadow account was reserved for fanboyism and keeping tabs on folks that needed watching. 

Like Cena. 

A little voice in his head--he called it "Alan"--kept telling him he didn't need to be so paranoid as to stalk the man's social media like a thirsty fangirl, but he shushed it. He swapped accounts back and forth, careful not to incriminate himself on either. 

He looked down at the Dreamcast controller in his lap and sighed. He was going to be in this recliner for a damned while as his ankle healed up a bit. Good thing he didn't have anything to prove to anyone except his doctor right now.

The sun from his window warming his belly and chest made him sleepy and he found himself drifting off while scrolling, occasionally pressing his thumb down and 'liking' something a million times before he came too. He blew up a tuft of hair and grumbled at himself; there was literally no reason he wasn't napping. He shifted himself to settle into the recliner and pulled his beach towel around himself like a child-king's cape.

He scrolled both timelines one more time. His index finger hovered over a post. The hell was Ellsworth doing on his timeline? He moved down a little further and saw Cena's name. A repost of a Tweet. How droll and more complicated than it needed to be.

He read the post. Hmm. His brow furrowed. Before he knew it, he was typing a response.

 _It was just a joke post man, calm down,_ the Alan voice pleaded.

_Nope_

The shadow account said, "Sry but shouldn't it be AJ Styles??" He thought he'd perfected the art of speaking like someone ten years his junior pretty well. He switched to his messaging app and brought up Ellsworth's name.

"Mancrush Monday huh"

A few minutes later, James responded with "Wtf are you talking about??"

"Saw your Twitter post dick."

AJ could tell James was taking so long to get back with him because he was thinking of the perfect apology. When he answered his phone again, his jaw dropped. 

"I want a divorce" James said.

"We are NOT married!!"

"I know but ur taking this whole thing way too seriously and ur possessive"

AJ paused to clutch his chest. Possessive? He kept James on a leash but it was a very long one. He was generous with his attentions and affections when they were in the same state. He even let him pet the tile every once in a while. He found the composure to answer back.

"I am not."

"Yes you are" James continued to falsely argue. "No ur actually insane. We are breaking up. I don't need the title that bad"

"Who said anything about that? This is our relationship"

"Our relationship isn't real!!"

"Then how are we breaking up?!?!"

AJ could almost hear the cry of frustration that ended the text replies. AJ chucked his own expensive phone into the couch so hard it stuck between the cushions, and let out a growl of his own.

"What's wrong?" his wife asked from the kids' room.

"My fake boyfriend just broke up with me!"

No response. The one person that would feel his pain right now had just broken up with him. The only other one who might understand was in his head, and that one was shaking his head in disappointment.

 _You made him do that,_ it said. _Great job._

AJ scoffed. "I don’t need him. I was doing it as a favor. He should thank me, you know?"

_Then why are you hurting and mad?_

AJ chose not to answer that and booted his Dreamcast up instead.

~~~

AJ sat perched on a box, alone, hoodie draped over his shoulders and earplugs dangling around his neck. He was watching the show through the monitors until Carmella and her lackey showed up. Even though the room was empty, he cleared his throat and made an excuse out loud to leave.

All this time and slouching still felt weird without his championship belt to hold him up. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

The sound of sneakers on the floor got his attention; he didn't have to look up very far to see gold spandex. A whiff of Juicy Couture told him he was right on the money. He stuck his foot out a little, just enough for James to stumble on.

"Hey!"

"Whoops," AJ drawled. The Alan-voice scolded him for being so petty. 

Carmella made a fuss over James's "booboo" and James aw shucks'd his way through it. Made AJ sick to his stomach.

"Well aren't y'all just cute," he said, hopping down from his perch. He pulled his earplugs out and stuffed them in his pocket. The sound rushed back into his ears like he'd entered a tunnel, like driving around in the mountains.

"A much cuter couple than you two," Carmella, that snotty brat, said with her arms crossed. 

"I'm sure Big Cass back there likes hearing that."

"I'm sure your kids _loved_ their classmates asking why their dad was making out with another man on TV."

AJ didn't have a PG comeback for that, so he popped his lips instead. He directed his attention to James.

"You know she's using you, right? She's got you out here looking a D-A-M-N fool in that G-Unit get up."

James opened his mouth to respond, but Carmella quickly interjected. "Excuse you, Midnight Cowboy, he looks adorable!"

AJ held James steady in his gaze. He even tilted his head up. "Can't talk to me man to man anymore?"

This time James cut Carmella off. He waved his hand in front of her face and shushed her.

"Boo," he said diplomatically, "you've got other things to worry about than the disgraced former world champ."

It took some more urging but James finally shoo'd the blond away. Alone in the hallway with his fake ex-boyfriend, James felt like…what did one of his friends call it? Oh, squaring up.

"Well come on!" James hit his chest with a sudden burst of adrenaline. "Square up! Don’t fight her, fight me!"

"No one is going to fight anyone. You needa _wise_ up." AJ stabbed James right in the center of his chest and the other man deflated like a month old birthday balloon. "God, do you just fall in with everyone that gives you two seconds of attention? Dean, me, that Jersey Shore fool--"

"You _made_ me be with you," James corrected.

His inner conscience was agreeing but AJ pushed it back. He smirked and leaned in closer so that he was breathing against James's neck. 

"Yeah, I made you put your hand on my dick on that van ride," he whispered, hot words falling on flesh damp from sweat. James shuddered and pulled back. 

"I t-told you that was an accident," he stammered.

"Suuure it was. But hey, someone's giving you better head now right? Right?" 

AJ grabbed James's wrists although the smaller man was no threat to him. His ring track record be damned.

 _Don't do this_ the Alan-voice whispered. _It's not healthy and really creepy._

AJ ignored it and pressed his lips to James's Adam's apple.

"Hmm?" he hummed. "Answer me."

"It's not like that," James whimpered.

"Then what _is_ it like?" He stopped and thought for a moment. "Has she touched you?" 

James shook his head. 

"Then you're still mine."

When his teeth sank into flesh, AJ's mind went blank. Or rather, he was inside his own head. A reflection of himself stood in front of him, looking pissed and defeated.

"Really? In the middle of the hallway?"

AJ shrugged at his inner conscience. "It's not like anyone's here." 

"You know what I mean."

"She _is_ using him," AJ protested.

"So were we."

AJ's smirk widened. "But he liked it when we did it."

"Do you like it?" 

AJ snorted and scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Hell nawl I don't."

"Then why?"

"Because…"

The world grew fuzzy and AJ was very aware of cold air on his skin and hands and rough-cut nails everywhere; his hoodie was missing, discarded somewhere along with his gloves, James's shirt, and their dignity. His lips and tongue were roving all over the exposed skin before him, his prey moaning and breathing unintelligible words and disjointed syllables over his head. 

"Because I can," he muttered and bit a stiff, dark nipple. "That's all I need. Because _I can_ , you son of a bitch."

"Are you talking to me?" 

AJ looked up into James's confused, bleary eyes. 

"Nope. Talking to myself."

James nods; he has seen AJ have full-blown conversations with himself, it was only scary the first few times.

In the dark space of his mind he backed himself into a wall of shadow and stuffed a glove into his other self's mouth to shut him up. AJ let James wrap his arms around his neck when they kissed again, if only to decrease the amount of space between their bodies so he could press their hips together. The other man jolted and moaned into his mouth, and AJ had to turn his head so he didn't smirk instinctively. He had James's mouth opened so wide he could feel the corners of his own mouth starting to crack and sting; the kiss only grew more savage as they bucked and ground into each other.

When he pulled away, his mouth was indeed sore. They were both flushed and red in the face. AJ roughly wrapped his hands around James's throat. James scratched at AJ's hands until he let go. He coughed and tried to put some space between the two of them, but AJ barely moved a few centimeters.

"Why are you being so rough?"

"Because I can be."

 _Because you're ashamed,_ his conscience whispered, grinning at finally having the upper hand in this fight.

AJ rolled his eyes but took his hands off. He leaned in until their noses were touching.

"Do you want me to stop?"

"Kind of…and do we have to do this out here?"

"Scared your girlfriend is going to run in on us?"

James ducked his head and laughed. "Never thought in a million years I'd have AJ freakin' Styles jealous."

AJ seized up, clenched his fists. He wanted to shout out that he didn't give a damn and just wanted to show this undercooked man his place, but where was it ending? His need for release was overriding his sense of caution and he had to admit he'd done it to himself. Wordlessly, he dove back in, biting James's lower lip until he drew blood.

 _Stop it now_ , the voice hissed. It was rather chatty today. AJ backed it up into a corner and smacked it across the mouth.

 _Too late, need this_. His primal instincts had taken the wheel and even if he felt like listening to reason right now, it didn't matter. 

_You hear that? Someone's coming down the hall, fool!_

_Great, sell the bitter break up._

_Sell you looking crazy man, come on!_

AJ pulled away and covered his own flushed face with his hand. Carmella was back from her confrontation, tan skin red and her face angry.

"James! Where were you, I thought you would be in my corner!"

James stammered, "I--uh--well,"

Carmella punched his shoulder and dropped her jacket in his hands. Which she quickly snatched back when she noticed his shirtlessness, then his bite mark riddled skin. Her face paled.

"Are…are those _hickies_?" 

"Ummm…"

"Hmm." AJ leaned over. "Sure are. Don't they look good."

"James, are you fucking kidding me? I can't leave you alone with him for ten minutes before you fall face first right back into his lap?"

James glared at AJ. "He's a manipulative asshole."

 _He's not wrong_ , AJ's inner conscience sneered. AJ nodded.

"I know," AJ answered himself and James.

James sighed. "And I keep falling for it."

AJ barely contained his smile behind his gloves. 

Carmella, exasperated, shouted, "Gawd, are you just gonna fall for every Tom, Dick, and Harry that gives you attention for two seconds? Dean, this redneck asshole, me?"

James cut Carmella and AJ pointed looks and dropped Carmella's jacket and stomped on it. She gasped; his glare dared her to say anything more.

"Yeah, maybe I do. Maybe I have esteem issues, who knows. I might need Kane's counselor. But at least I'm not a narcissistic, insufferable jack ass like the both of you!"

With that, James snatched his shirt off the floor--and probably chunks of his self-image--and stormed down the hall, knocking a few interns out of the way. AJ tugged on his gloves and stretched the gaps in the fingers.

"Hmm. Feel like that was both our faults." He squeezed a cushioned finger. "But he's coming back to me."

"You? At least I was using him nicely."

"Pssh, you made him look crazy on TV."

"Like you didn't!"

Carmella shoved him against the wall with surprising strength and took her time looking for her lackey down the hall. AJ fell back like he'd been shot, chuckled to himself as he slid down the wall. He picked up his discarded hoodie and the tangle of his earplugs. 

It didn't take long for his conscience to start whining again.

_Was any of that really necessary?_

_Keeps him on his toes, keeps 'im in my pocket._

_How long are you going to make excuses?_

AJ found himself whistling loudly even as the familiar blast of horns and half-baked reggaeton overwhelmed his thoughts.

He paused midstep. He didn't really have to go out there. But. Something made him turn around and run. John always talks too much and there's never a bad time to punch him right in the talk box. He even hoped and prayed that fool Dean would want to pick a fight with him tonight. Nothing more and nothing less would clear his heart and mind, blood rushing and pumping in his ears as adrenaline took over and the roar of the crowd and blinding lights swept clean the slate of his mind.


End file.
